Self-Optimizing, Multi-channel, Cognitive Virtual Benefits Product Field Underwriter and Customer Service Representative

ABSTRACT

An anthropomorphic, artificial intelligence-based system and method to provide benefits products field underwriting and post-enrollment customer services through a cognitive virtual assistant. The system can contact to one or more third-party benefits provider systems to obtain coverage details, provider types and location details, and to modify member coverage types on behalf of the member. The system can contact third-party pharmacy systems to fill medical prescriptions. The system can contact third-party medical services for providing information directed to medical services.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an anthropomorphic, artificialintelligence-based system and method to assist during an underwritingprocess to enable a consumer to purchase life and health insurance, orbenefits products and services (hereinafter “benefits products”) from aninsurance benefits provider, benefits company, healthcare discount planprovider, health care sharing ministry, third-party administrator, orsimilar entities (hereinafter “benefits provider(s)”) and to providepost-enrollment customer services through a cognitive virtual processvia phone, mobile device, tablet, app, SMS, chat, iMessage,videoconference, or virtual reality (hereinafter “method(s) ofcommunication”).

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Consumers of benefits products commonly use comparison shopping internetwebsites to research and compare available options. benefits broductscomparison shopping websites attempt to guide consumers throughintricate product variations from multiple benefits providers. Theconsumer often struggles to identify adequate affordable coverage andplan options in the marketplace due to a disarray of benefits productsranging from various types (on-exchange, off-exchange, limited indemnitymedical, short term medical, ministry, cost sharing), levels of coverage(Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze at the federal level), premiums,co-pays, membership fees, deductibles, and limitations. A state ofasymmetric information for products across the individual marketplaceexists and potentially leads the consumer to adverse selection. Inaddition, it is often difficult for the consumer to easily understandunderwriter requirements and supply required information to theunderwriter in order to obtain a benefits product.

Due to the nature of the chaotic environment, the individual marketplaceis also an outlet for fraudulent benefits products. In many cases,consumers seek the assistance of a licensed insurance agent, producer orbroker (hereinafter “agent”) to select a benefits product. It is commonin the individual marketplace for a consumer to speak with an agent byphone to review available benefits product options and complete thebenefits provider's enrollment process. The agent typically enters theconsumer's underwriting details into a rate quoting calculator or webform to obtain rates, explains the differences between plan options fromvarious benefits providers, and transcribes the enrollment details ontothe Benefits Provider's application or enrollment portal on behalf ofthe consumer.

In many cases, the agent is appointed to represent a limited number ofbenefits providers thus limiting the consumer's choices to only plansoffered by those benefits providers. Compensation arrangements foragents also typically include commissions (a percentage of premium aspaid by the benefits provider) or another form of compensation (e.g.,marketing fees). Agent bias, thus, is also potentially a significantfactor in adverse selection.

Conventional systems have been used for extracting user data to identifyavailable insurance plans based on responses from the consumer. U.S.Pat. No. 9,495,700 describes the use of branded virtual characters on aserver computer which are accessed by an employee at a remote clientcomputer over a network in order to engage and educate users regardingalternate benefit plans. Throughout the process, the system employs aportfolio-driven approach to identify inter-dependencies among differentbenefit products and plans and prioritize and recommend“portfolio-level” benefit solutions. The employee can be automaticallyenrolled in the selected benefit plan. This system has the drawback ofneeding a computer interface to access the system over the internet andcan be cumbersome for a person to navigate, especially the elderly orunsophisticated computer users.

It is desirable to provide an unbiased, anthropomorphic, artificialintelligence-based telephonic system and method to assist in providingunderwriter requirements, identify the consumer's available coverageoptions based on eligibility, assist in the comparison of differentoptions, automatically enroll the consumer into selected plans based onthe provided underwriting, as well as to provide post-enrollmentcustomer services such as identifying and modifying benefits productcoverage details and to interface with covered service providers such aspharmacies and physicians.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an anthropomorphic, artificialintelligence-based system and method to provide benefits product fieldunderwriting and post-enrollment customer services through a cognitivevirtual process via a chosen method of communication. In one embodiment,the present invention can automate the tasks of a field underwriter of abenefits provider or the invention can provide a customer servicesession as initiated by either a member, insured, or policyholder(hereinafter “member”) or initiated by the system.

In one embodiment, an underwriting session is initiated by the systemvia a chosen method of communication. The user can be either theproposed member (hereinafter “applicant”) or a system. For a voicesession, audio interfaces of the system allow multi-language,bi-directional, speech-based conversations between the cognitive virtualassistant and the user. As the user speaks to the cognitive virtualassistant, a process of automated speech recognition (ASR) can digitallyconvert received audible speech into transcribed text. Through naturallanguage processing, including sentiment and tone analysis, the systemevaluates the meaning and context of the transcribed text and adjuststhe language and tone of responses from the cognitive virtual assistantaccordingly to accommodate the user. The context-switching capability ofthe system allows the user to interrupt and restart any embedded processwhile retaining the user's information. The system can include anepisodic memory to allow the cognitive virtual assistant to recalldetails from previous segments of the current conversation or previousconversations altogether. The cognitive virtual assistant can beimplemented in a conversational manner for receiving information from auser and generating responses using cognitive learning abilities duringthe conversation. The cognitive learning abilities of the cognitivevirtual assistant can also include analytic memory for understandingtrend of data, affective memory for understanding emotion and deep backprojection networks (DBPN) for learning process flows via empiricallearning. The cognitive virtual assistant can be considered to be a“trusted” virtual underwriter as compared to a human prone to error orbias.

In one embodiment, once a session is initiated, the user is introducedto the cognitive virtual assistant trained to provide information tosatisfy requirements noted by the benefits provider during theapplication underwriting process. It is typical in benefits productunderwriting for a benefits provider to require additional informationfrom the applicant following the submission of an application for theselected benefits product. Requirements may include, but are not limitedto, medical records, laboratory results, prescribed medications, chronicconditions, family medical history, drug use, and the like.

In one embodiment, a session is initiated to generate rate quotes andcompare available coverage options. In another embodiment, after theunderwriting requirements are satisfied, the cognitive assistant canguide the user to complete the application process in order to enrollthe applicant into selected plans available from various benefitsproviders. The cognitive virtual assistant follows a roadmap embedded ina semantic memory for guiding the user through the session. It allowsthe cognitive virtual assistant to engage in social conversation withthe user while focusing the conversation to insurance underwritingrequirements, rate quoting, comparison shopping, and enrollment topicsand processes.

The cognitive virtual assistant can prompt the user to answer a seriesof questions directed to underwriting requirements for a selectedbenefits product proposal. In one embodiment, the cognitive virtualassistant can also prompt the user to answer a series of pre-qualifyingquestions to determine available coverage options. In one embodiment, inorder to generate a quote of an individual to list rates and details forcoverage options for an applicant, the virtual cognitive assistant canrequest the following information from the user: date of birth, zip codeand gender.

Responses from the user are stored in the memory of the system. Thesystem can invoke an application programming interface (API) to call toone or more third-party benefits providers to obtain pendingunderwriting requirements and record responses from the applicant toadvance the underwriting process. Responses from the one or morebenefits provider's underwriting servers can contain underwritingrequirements, including, for example, medical records, laboratoryresults, prescribed medications, chronic conditions, family medicalhistory, drug use and limitations. The cognitive virtual assistant canreview the received responses and relay the received responses or asubset of the received responses to the user by various methods ofcommunication at the user's preference.

In addition to the underwriting requirements, the system can also invokean API call to one or more third-party benefits provider applicationservers to obtain benefits product application requirements for theselected coverage options. The cognitive virtual assistant prompts theuser to provide information directed to the application requirements forthe selected coverage option. Responses from the user can be stored inmemory while collecting information from the user for each data fieldrequired on the application for the selected coverage option. Uponsatisfaction of the application requirements and underwritingrequirements for the selected coverage options, the system invokes anAPI call to one or more third-party benefits provider enrollment serverscorresponding to the one or more third-party benefits providerapplication servers to submit the application and obtain a policyidentification (ID). It will be appreciated that in some embodiments thethird-party benefits provider application server can be the same serveras the third-party benefits provider enrollment server. The responsefrom the third-party benefits provider enrollment server can containadditional fulfillment material from the benefits provider for the userto be covered. The system can relay the additional fulfillment materialto the user by various methods of communication at the user'spreference. The cognitive virtual assistant can also present relevantcross-sell opportunities to the user.

In one embodiment, the system can also invoke an application programminginterface (API) to contact to one or more third-party benefits providerrate quoting servers before the underwriting process to obtain availablecoverage options from benefits providers for the quoted applicant.Responses from the one or more benefits provider rate quoting serverscan contain rate quoting details, including, for example, plandescriptions, premiums and limitations. The cognitive virtual assistantcan review the received responses and relay the received responses or asubset of the received responses to the user by various methods ofcommunication at the user's preference. The system can utilizeunderwriting guidelines from benefits providers together with userstated preferences, eligibility and affordability to sort and highlightrecommended coverage options to the user. The user can select one ormore plans from the coverage options and proceed to underwriting,enrollment/policy issuance. The one or more plans can be selected byspecifying the one or more plan names or unique identifiers to thecognitive virtual assistant. The system can provide security of the userinterface and transmitted data. In one embodiment, data encryption canbe used during transport of data.

In one embodiment, the system and method can automate the tasks of acustomer service representative of a benefits provider or a third-partyadministrator (TPA) working on behalf of benefits provider is provided.A customer service session can be initiated by either a m ember or bythe system via a chosen method of communication. For a voice session,audio interfaces of the system allow multi-language, bi-directional,speech-based conversations between the cognitive virtual assistant andthe user. As the user speaks to the cognitive virtual assistant, aprocess of automated speech recognition (ASR) can digitally convertreceived audible speech into transcribed text. Through natural languageprocessing, including sentiment and tone analysis, the system evaluatesthe meaning and context of the transcribed text and adjusts the languageand tone of responses from the cognitive virtual assistant accordinglyto accommodate the user. The context-switching capability of the systemallows the user to interrupt and restart any embedded process whileretaining the user's information. The system's episodic memory allowsthe cognitive virtual assistant to recall details from previous segmentsof the current conversation or previous conversations altogether. Thecognitive virtual assistant can be implemented in a conversationalmanner for receiving information from a user and generating responsesusing cognitive learning abilities during the conversation. Thecognitive learning abilities of the cognitive virtual assistant can alsoinclude analytic memory for understanding trend of data, affectivememory for understanding emotion and deep back projection networks(DBPN) for learning process flows via empirical learning. The cognitivevirtual assistant can be considered to be a “trusted” virtual servicerepresentative.

Once a session is initiated, the member is introduced to a human-likeinterface, a cognitive virtual assistant. The cognitive virtualassistant greets and prompts the member to request services in a naturallanguage including, but not limited to, providing proof of coverage toproviders, reviewing coverage details, modifying coverages, locating aprovider, scheduling physician office visits, requesting prescriptiondrug refills, and reviewing and modifying payment details. The cognitivevirtual assistant can also initiate a videoconferencing, voice, chat ortext session with a medical provider.

As the session between the member and cognitive virtual assistantprogresses, the system utilizes tone analysis technologies includingSentiment Analysis, Tone Analyzer, and Personality Insights to adjustthe language and tone of the cognitive virtual assistant to accommodatethe member. The system can invoke an application programming interface(API) to contact to one or more third-party benefits provider systems toobtain coverage details, provider types and location details, and tomodify member coverage types on behalf of the member. The system canutilize third-party pharmacy systems via an application programminginterface (API) to fill medical prescriptions on behalf of the member atthe preferred retail pharmacy location. The system can also utilize athird-party service for conferencing members with on-call physicians orhealthcare providers for non-emergency medical related concerns.

The system can provide security of the user interface and transmitteddata. In one embodiment, data encryption can be used during transport ofdata.

The invention will be more fully described by reference to the followingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1C are flow diagrams of one embodiment of a method forinteractively providing underwriter services for relevant benefitsproducts based on eligibility to a user and enrolling of the user withdetermined benefits products and optionally pre-qualifying a consumerfor benefits products performed by a system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an artificialintelligence-based multi-channel system of the present invention forperforming FIGS. 1A-1C.

FIGS. 3A-3D are flow diagrams of one embodiment of a method forpresenting benefits products customer services to a user performed by asystem of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an artificialintelligence-based multi-channel system of the present invention forperforming FIGS. 3A-3D.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodimentof the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be usedthroughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or likeparts.

As used in this application, the terms “component”, odule,” “system,”“interface,” or the like are generally intended to refer to acomputer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware andsoftware, software, or software in execution. For example, a componentcan be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, aprocessor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program,and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application runningon a controller and the controller can be a component. One or morecomponents can reside within a process and/or thread of execution and acomponent can be localized on one computer and/or distributed betweentwo or more computers. As another example, an interface can include I/Ocomponents as well as associated processor, application, and/or APIcomponents.

FIGS. 1A-1B are flow diagrams of an embodiment of interactive method 10for interactively providing underwriter services for relevant benefitsproducts based on eligibility to a user and enrolling of the user withdetermined benefits products. In step 11, a session with a cognitivevirtual assistant is initiated through an interface. The user can be abuyer or consumer. For example, the user can initiate the session withthe system using an interface of various Methods of Communication. Oncea session is initiated, in step 11, the user is introduced to acognitive virtual assistant. The cognitive virtual assistant can greetand prompt the user to answer a series of preliminary questions in step12. In one embodiment, the system can internalize the user's answers andnot repeat questions which limits buyer or consumer frustration. For avoice session, an audio interface of the system allows multi-language,bi-directional, speech-based conversations between the cognitive virtualassistant and the user. As the user speaks to the cognitive virtualassistant, a process of automated speech recognition (ASR) can digitallyconvert received audible speech into transcribed text. Through naturallanguage processing, including sentiment and tone analysis, the systemevaluates the meaning and context of the transcribed text and adjuststhe language and tone of responses from the cognitive virtual assistantaccordingly to accommodate the user. The context-switching capability ofthe system allows the user to interrupt and restart any embedded processwhile retaining the user's information. The system's episodic memoryallows the assistant to recall details from previous segments of thecurrent conversation or previous conversations altogether. The cognitivevirtual assistant can be implemented in a conversational manner forreceiving information from a user and generating responses usingcognitive learning abilities during the conversation. In one embodiment,the cognitive virtual assistant presents audio to the user and receivesaudio from the user. The cognitive virtual assistant is artificialintelligence based to receive voice via an audio interface which istransferred to a server to be interpreted with artificial intelligencein real time. Responses from the server can be sent back via audio tothe user's audio interface.

In step 13, during the session between the user and the cognitivevirtual assistant, the system can adjust parameters of the cognitivevirtual assistant to accommodate the user. For example, language andtone of the cognitive virtual assistant can be selected or adjusted. Thecognitive virtual assistant can utilize commercial technologiesincluding, for example, Sentiment Analysis, Tone Analyzer andPersonality Insights to adjust parameters of the cognitive virtualassistant.

In step 14, the cognitive virtual assistant engages in a conversation toprompt the user to provide information directed to underwritingrequirements for a proposed benefits product in real time. In oneembodiment, the cognitive virtual assistant can request informationdirected to one or more of medical records, laboratory results,prescribed medications, chronic conditions, family medical history, anddrug use. In step 15, responses from the user are stored in memory ofthe system. Step 14 and step 15 can be repeated for collectingadditional information from the user directed to underwritingrequirements.

In one embodiment, the system can invoke an application programminginterface (API) to contact to one or more benefits provider andthird-Party administrator underwriting servers to obtain underwritingrequirements and underwriting guidelines for an Applicant. The cognitivevirtual assistant can review the received responses of the third-partybenefits provider underwriting servers and present the receivedresponses or a subset of the received responses to the user by variousmethods of communication at the user's preference.

In step 17, the user's responses for underwriting requirements areforwarded to one or more benefits providers providing benefits products.In step 18, the system can communicate with the one or more benefitsproviders of one or more selected benefits products to receiveapplication requirements. In one embodiment, the system can invoke anapplication programming interface (API) to contact to one or morebenefits provider application servers to obtain application requirementsfor the selected coverage options.

In step 19, the cognitive virtual assistant prompts the user to provideinformation directed to the application requirements for the selectedcoverage option. In step 20, responses from the user can be stored inmemory. Step 19 and step 20 can be repeated for collecting informationfrom the user for each data field required on the application for theselected coverage option. The system can review the collectedinformation to ensure that application requirements for the selectedcoverage options are satisfied. If the application requirements are notsatisfied, steps 19 and 20 can be repeated.

In step 21, the system communicates with one or more benefits providersof selected benefits products to submit application requirements forenrollment. In one embodiment, the system invokes an applicationprogramming interface (API) to contact one or more benefits providersenrollment servers corresponding to the one or more benefits providerapplication servers to submit the application and obtain a policy ID. Instep 22, the system receives enrolled policy information and presentsthe received information to the user. The response from the benefitsprovider enrollment server can contain additional fulfillment materialfrom the benefits provider. The system can relay the additionalfulfillment material to the user by various methods of communicationwhich are selected by the user. The received policy information can bepresented to the user by the cognitive virtual assistant.

FIG. 1C is a flow diagram for an embodiment of interactively presentingrelevant benefits products based on eligibility to a user. In step 31, asession with the cognitive virtual assistant is initiated. The cognitivevirtual assistant can greet and prompt the user to answer a series ofpre-qualifying questions in step 32. In one embodiment, the system caninternalize the user's answers and not repeat questions which limitsbuyer or consumer frustration. The cognitive virtual assistant presentsaudio to the user and receives audio from the user. The cognitivevirtual assistant is artificial intelligence based to receive voice viaan audio interface which is transferred to a server to be interpretedwith artificial intelligence. Responses from the server can be sent backvia audio to the user's audio interface.

In step 33, during the session between the user and the cognitivevirtual assistant, the system can adjust parameters of the cognitivevirtual assistant to accommodate the user. For example, language andtone of the cognitive virtual assistant can be selected or adjusted. Thecognitive virtual assistant can utilize commercial technologiesincluding, for example, Sentiment Analysis, Tone Analyzer, andPersonality Insights to adjust parameters of the cognitive virtualassistant.

In step 34, the cognitive virtual assistant prompts the user to describethe benefits products that are of interest to the user for purchase. Instep 35, the system can evaluate the user's level of intent or urgencyto purchase the benefits product. In step 36, the system can identifyand present relevant benefits products based on eligibility determinedby responses from the user presented to the cognitive virtual assistant.In one embodiment, the cognitive virtual assistant can utilize benefitsprovider rate quoting services and benefits provider underwritingguidelines and requirements from multiple benefits providers to identifyand present relevant benefits products through the cognitive virtualassistant to the user.

In step 37, the cognitive virtual assistant can scan a network of liveagents licensed or registered in a resident state of a user to identifyan agent offering benefits products presented to the user during thesession. The cognitive virtual assistant can transfer the buyer orconsumer to proceed with enrollment by beginning at step 14 for thecognitive virtual assistant to engage in conversation with a user forunderwriter requirements information for a selected benefits providerand receives a description of the requirements information from theuser. Previously described steps 15-22 can be implemented to assist withcompleting enrollment of the user.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an implementation of system 100. System100 includes user interface 102 which is accessed by user 101. Userinterface 102 can be an electronic device such as a mobile telephonydevice including for example a mobile device, cell phone or smartphone.User interface 102 can include various Methods of Communicationincluding SMS, chat, email, mobile app, or Messenger. Mobile telephonydevices can communicate with fourth generation (4G) or fifth generation(5G) cellular communications. It will be appreciated that other mobiletelephony devices and networks can be used in accordance with theteachings of the present invention. User interface 102 communicatesaudio or digital information to the cognitive virtual assistant 104 overcommunication path 103.

Cognitive virtual assistant 104 can be a component which is artificialintelligence based. In one embodiment, cognitive virtual assistant 104receives audio over communication path 103. Audio can be digitized orinterpreted by cognitive virtual assistant 104 into data 105. In oneembodiment automated speech recognition (ASR) 120 can be performed atcognitive virtual assistant 104 or server 108 to digitally convertreceived audible speech into transcribed text. Cognitive virtualassistant 104 can utilize commercial technologies including, forexample, Sentiment Analysis, Tone Analyzer, and Personality Insights toanalyze data and adjust parameters of cognitive virtual assistant 104.Cognitive virtual assistant 104 can be implemented in a natural languageconversational manner for receiving information from user 101 andautomatically generating responses to user 101 during the conversation.Cognitive virtual assistant 104 can have cognitive learning abilities.Cognitive virtual assistant 104 can include natural language processingand context switching. Cognitive virtual assistant 104 can includesemantic memory, episodic memory for learning from past conversations,analytic memory for understanding trend of data, and affective memoryfor understanding emotion and deep back projection networks (DBPN) forlearning process flows via empirical learning. In some embodiments, thepart of speech of content of the utterance of cognitive virtualassistant 104 is determined based on using a natural language parser(e.g., Stanford Natural Language Processing Group software or others asare known in the art) to parse the utterance. Virtual assistant 104using artificial intelligence techniques can employ one of numerousmethodologies for learning from data and then drawing inferences and/ormaking determinations related to dynamically storing information acrossmultiple storage units (e.g., Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) and relatedprototypical dependency models, more general probabilistic graphicalmodels, such as Bayesian networks, e.g., created by structure searchusing a Bayesian model score or approximation, linear classifiers, suchas support vector machines (SVMs), non-linear classifiers, such asmethods referred to as “neural network” methodologies, fuzzy logicmethodologies, and other approaches that perform data fusion, etc.) inaccordance with implementing various automated aspects described herein.The type of speech of content of the utterance can indicate if thecontent is a noun phrase, verb phrase, and/or theme. In someembodiments, the domain of the content of the utterance of cognitivevirtual assistant 104 is determined based on pattern matching. Cognitivevirtual assistant 104 can include components such as a processor,memory, storage, microphone, learning module, and operating system. Anexample, cognitive virtual assistant or virtual agent is described inU.S. Pat. No. 9,812,151 hereby incorporated by reference into thisapplication.

Data 105 is transferred over communication path 107 to network 106.Network 106 communicates with system server 108. For example, network106 can be the Internet. Cognitive virtual assistant 104 may include aserver, computer, laptop, PC, mobile device, or the like that includes aprocessor, a memory, and a communication device. Cognitive virtualassistant 104 and system server 108 may include a plurality of computingdevices connected together, e.g., via a network. The processor mayinclude any general purpose or application-specific processor. Thememory may include one or more tangible, non-transitory,machine-readable media.

System server 108 accesses third-party data interface 109. For example,third-party data interface 109 can be an interface to a third-partysystem for accessing third-party rate quote data. For example, systemserver 108 can access third-party data 115 directly from databases ofthird-party providers. In one embodiment, application programminginterface (API) 110 of system server 108 or application programminginterface (API) 111 of cognitive virtual assistant 104 communicates withapplication programming interface (API) 112 of third-party datainterface 109 to access the features or data from third-party datainterface 109. Alternatively, system server 108 can access third- partydata 115 over network 106. For example, third-party data 115 can includethird-party rate quoting services and carrier specific underwritingguidelines and requirements from multiple benefits providers.

System server 108 or cognitive virtual assistant 104 can connect tobenefits interface 124. For example, benefits provider interface 124 canbe an interface to one or more third-party systems for accessingunderwriting requirements data 121. In one embodiment, applicationprogramming interface (API) 110 of system server 108 or applicationprogramming interface (API) 111 of cognitive virtual assistant 104communicates with application programming interface (API) 122 ofbenefits provider interface 124 to access features or data from ofbenefits provider interface 124. Alternatively, system server 108 canaccess underwriting requirements data 121 over network 106. For example,underwriting requirements data 121 can include data fields ofunderwriting requirements relating to user information of medicalrecords, laboratory results, prescribed medications, chronic conditions,family medical history and drug use.

System server 108 or cognitive virtual assistant 104 can connect tobenefits provider application interface 130. For example, benefitsprovider application interface 130 can be an interface to one or morethird-party systems for accessing application requirements data 131. Inone embodiment, application programming interface (API) 110 of systemserver 108 or application programming interface (API) 111 of cognitivevirtual assistant 104 communicates with application programminginterface (API) 132 of third-party benefits provider applicationinterface 130 to access the features or data from of benefits providerapplication interface 130. Alternatively, system server 108 can accessapplication requirements data 131 over network 106. For example,application requirements data 131 can include data fields of theapplication relating to user information.

System server 108 or cognitive virtual assistant 104 can connect tothird-party benefits provider enrollment interface 140. For example,third-party benefits provider enrollment interface 140 can be aninterface to one or more third-party systems for accessing enrollmentdata 141. In one embodiment, application programming interface (API) 110of system server 108 or application programming interface (API) 111 ofcognitive virtual assistant 104 communicates with applicationprogramming interface (API) 142 of third-party benefits providerenrollment interface 140 to access the features or data from third-partybenefits provider enrollment interface 140. Alternatively, system server108 can access enrollment data 141 over network 106. For example,enrollment data 141 can include policy identification data andfulfillment data. In one embodiment, third-party benefits providerenrollment interface 140 can send enrollment data 141 directly to user101 through user interface 102 by various methods of communication. Data105, third-party data 115, underwriting requirements data 121,application requirements data 131 and enrollment data 141 can be storedin memory 150 of server 108. In one embodiment, API 110, API 111, API112, API 122, API 132 and API 142 are web based APIs.

FIGS. 3A-3D are a flow diagram of an embodiment of interactive method200 for interactively presenting benefits product customer services to auser. In step 211, a session with a cognitive virtual assistant isinitiated through an interface shown in FIG. 3B. The user can be a buyeror consumer or system. For example, the user can initiate the sessionwith the system using an interface of various methods of communicationsuch as a phone, SMS, chat, mobile app, or Messenger. Once a session isinitiated, in step 211, the user is introduced to a cognitive virtualassistant. The cognitive virtual assistant can greet and prompt the userto answer a series of preliminary questions regarding the requestedservices in step 212. In one embodiment, the system can internalize theuser's answers and not repeat questions which limits buyer or consumerfrustration. For a voice session, audio interfaces of the system allowmulti-language, bi-directional, speech-based conversations between thecognitive virtual assistant and the user. As the user speaks to thecognitive virtual assistant, a process of automated speech recognition(ASR) can digitally convert received audible speech into transcribedtext. Through natural language processing, including sentiment and toneanalysis, the system evaluates the meaning and context of thetranscribed text and adjusts the language and tone of responses from thecognitive virtual assistant accordingly to accommodate the user. Thecontext-switching capability of the system allows the user to interruptand restart any embedded process while retaining the user's information.The system's episodic memory allows the assistant to recall details fromprevious segments of the current conversation or previous conversationsaltogether. The cognitive virtual assistant can be implemented in aconversational manner for receiving information from a user andgenerating responses using cognitive learning abilities during theconversation. In one embodiment, the cognitive virtual assistantpresents audio to the user and receives audio from the user. Thecognitive virtual assistant is artificial intelligence based to receivevoice via an audio interface which is transferred to a server to beinterpreted with artificial intelligence. Responses from the server canbe sent back via audio to the user's audio interface.

In step 213, during the session between the user and the cognitivevirtual assistant, the system can adjust parameters of the cognitivevirtual assistant to accommodate the user. For example, language andtone of the cognitive virtual assistant can be selected or adjusted. Thecognitive virtual assistant can utilize commercial technologiesincluding, for example, Sentiment Analysis, Tone Analyzer, andPersonality Insights to adjust parameters of the cognitive virtualassistant.

In step 214, the cognitive virtual assistant engages in a conversationto prompt the user to provide information directed to an existingbenefits product of which the user is currently a member. In oneembodiment, the cognitive virtual assistant can request the followinginformation from the user: name, date of birth, zip code and policyidentification. In step 215, responses from the user are stored inmemory of the system. Step 214 and step 215 can be repeated forcollecting additional information from the user directed to desiredcoverage options.

In step 216, coverage information of one or more benefits products andservices of one or more third-party benefits providers are identifiedand presented to the user. In one embodiment, the system can invoke anapplication programming interface (API) to call to one or morethird-party benefits provider servers to obtain information directed toproof of coverage of the benefits product, coverage details, or tolocate a provider. Responses from the one or more benefits providerservers can include, but not be limited to, plan descriptions, premiumsand limitations. The cognitive virtual assistant can review the receivedresponses and present the received responses or a subset of the receivedresponses to the user by voice, text, or email at the user's preference.

In step 217, the user can optionally select to modify existing benefitsproduct coverage or to select one or more benefits products which caninclude plans for coverage options as shown in FIG. 3B. The one or moreplans can be selected by the user specifying the one or more plan namesor one or more unique identifiers to the cognitive virtual assistant. Instep 218, if one or more benefits products are selected for enrollment,the system can communicate with one or more third-party benefitsproviders of one or more selected benefits products to receive coverageinformation or application requirements. In one embodiment, the systemcan invoke an application programming interface (API) call to one ormore third-party benefits provider application servers to obtainapplication requirements for the selected coverage options.

In step 219, The cognitive virtual assistant prompts the user to provideinformation directed to the application requirements for the selectedcoverage option. In step 220, responses from the user can be stored inmemory. Step 219 and step 220 can be repeated for collecting informationfrom the user for each data field required on the application for theselected coverage option. The system can review the collectedinformation to ensure that application requirements for the selectedcoverage options are satisfied. If the application requirements are notsatisfied, steps 219 and 220 can be repeated.

In step 221, the system communicates with one or more third-partyproviders of selected benefits products to submit applicationrequirements for enrollment. In one embodiment, the system invokes anapplication programming interface (API) to contact to one or morethird-party benefits provider enrollment servers corresponding to theone or more third-party benefits provider application servers to submitthe application and obtain a policy ID. In step 222, the system receivesenrolled policy or plan information and presents the receivedinformation to the user. The response from the third-party benefitsprovider enrollment server can contain additional fulfillment materialfrom the third-party benefits provider. The system can relay theadditional fulfillment material to the user by various methods ofcommunication, at the user's preference. The received policy informationcan be presented to the user by the cognitive virtual assistant.

In step 227, the user can optionally select pharmacy services to beprovided by a third-party pharmacy as shown in FIG. 3C. In step 228, ifone or more pharmacies are selected, the system can communicate with oneor more third-party pharmacies. In one embodiment, the system can invokean application programming interface (API) to contact to one or morethird- party pharmacy application servers to obtain pharmacyinformation.

In step 229, The cognitive virtual assistant prompts the user to provideinformation directed to the prescription to be filled or refilled. Instep 230, responses from the user can be stored in memory. Step 229 andstep 230 can be repeated for collecting information from the user foreach data field required for a prescription. The system can review thecollected information to ensure that prescription requirements for theselected prescription are satisfied. If the prescription requirementsare not satisfied, steps 229 and 230 can be repeated.

In step 231, the system communicates with one or more third-partyprovider of pharmacy products or services to submit a prescription orrefill. In one embodiment, the system invokes an application programminginterface (API) to contact one or more third-party pharmacy servers tosubmit the prescription or refill. The system can also submit a requestfor reviewing or modifying payment details. In step 232, the systemreceives prescription information and presents the received informationto the user. The system can relay the prescription information orpayment information to the user by various methods of communication, atthe user's preference. The received prescription information can bepresented to the user by the cognitive virtual assistant.

In step 237, the user can optionally select medical provider services tobe provided by a third-party medical provider as shown in FIG. 1D. Instep 238, if one or more medical providers are selected, the system cancommunicate with one or more third-party medical providers. In oneembodiment, the system can invoke an application programming interface(API) to contact to one or more third-party medical provider applicationservers to obtain medical provider information.

In step 239, The cognitive virtual assistant prompts the user to provideinformation directed to the medical condition or question. In step 240,responses from the user can be stored in memory. Step 239 and step 240can be repeated for collecting information from the user for each datafield required for a medical condition. The system can review thecollected information to ensure that requirements for the diagnosing amedical condition selected are satisfied. If the requirements are notsatisfied, steps 239 and 240 can be repeated. In addition, the systemcan determine if the condition is an emergency or non-emergencycondition. If the condition is an emergency condition, the system canindicate that the user should contact 911 and not proceed with utilizingthe system.

In step 241, the system communicates with one or more third-partyproviders of medical services. For example, the third-party provider ofmedical services can be an on-call physician, physician assistant, ornurse to provide information for non-emergency conditions. In oneembodiment, the system invokes an application programming interface(API) to contact to one or more third-party medical provider servers tosubmit information. The system can also submit a request for reviewingor modifying payment details. In step 242, the system receives medicalprovider information and presents the received information to the user.The system can relay the medical provider information or paymentinformation to the user by various methods of communication, at theuser's preference. The received medical provider information can bepresented to the user by the cognitive virtual assistant.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an implementation of system 300. System300 includes user interface 302 which is accessed by user 301. Userinterface 302 can be an electronic device such as a mobile telephonydevice including for example a mobile device, cell phone, smartphone,tablet, laptop or computer. User interface 302 can include SMS, chat,mobile app, or Messenger. Mobile telephony devices can communicate withfourth generation (4G) or fifth generation (5G) cellular communications.It will be appreciated that other mobile telephony devices and networkscan be used in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.User interface 302 communicates audio or digital information tocognitive virtual assistant 304 over communication path 303.

Cognitive virtual assistant 304 is artificial intelligence based. In oneembodiment, cognitive virtual assistant receives audio overcommunication path 303. Audio can be digitized or interpreted bycognitive virtual assistant 304 into data 305. In one embodimentautomated speech recognition (ASR) 320 can be performed at cognitivevirtual assistant 304 or system server 308 to digitally convert receivedaudible speech into transcribed text. Cognitive virtual assistant 304can utilize commercial technologies including for example SentimentAnalysis, Tone Analyzer, and Personality Insights to analyze data andadjust parameters of cognitive virtual assistant 304. cognitive virtualassistant 304 can be implemented in a natural language conversationalmanner for receiving information from user 301 and automaticallygenerating responses to user 301 during the conversation. Cognitivevirtual assistant 304 can have cognitive learning abilities. Cognitivevirtual assistant 304 can include natural language processing andcontext switching. Cognitive virtual assistant 304 can include semanticmemory, episodic memory for learning from past conversations, analyticmemory for understanding trend of data, affective memory forunderstanding emotion, and deep back projection networks (DBPN) forlearning process flows via empirical learning. In some embodiments, thepart of speech of content of the utterance of cognitive virtualassistant 304 is determined based on using a natural language parser(e.g., Stanford Natural Language Processing Group software or others asare known in the art) to parse the utterance. The part of speech ofcontent of the utterance can indicate if the content is a noun phrase,verb phrase, and/or theme.

In some embodiments, the type of speech of content of the utterance ofcognitive virtual assistant 304 is determined based on using a naturallanguage parser (e.g., Stanford Natural Language Processing Groupsoftware or others as are known in the art) to parse the utterance.Cognitive virtual assistant 304 using artificial intelligence techniquescan employ one of numerous methodologies for learning from data and thendrawing inferences and/or making determinations related to dynamicallystoring information across multiple storage units (e.g., Hidden MarkovModels (HMMs) and related prototypical dependency models, more generalprobabilistic graphical models, such as Bayesian networks, e.g., createdby structure search using a Bayesian model score or approximation,linear classifiers, such as support vector machines (SVMs), non-linearclassifiers, such as methods referred to as “neural network”methodologies, fuzzy logic methodologies, and other approaches thatperform data fusion, etc.) in accordance with implementing variousautomated aspects described herein. The type of speech of content of theutterance can indicate if the content is a noun phrase, verb phrase,and/or theme. In some embodiments, the domain of the content of theutterance of cognitive virtual assistant 304 is determined based onpattern matching. Cognitive virtual assistant 304 can include componentssuch as a processor, memory, storage, microphone, learning module, andoperating system. An example, cognitive virtual assistant or virtualproducer is described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,812,151 hereby incorporated byreference into this application. Cognitive virtual assistant 304 mayinclude a server, computer, laptop, PC, mobile device, or the like thatincludes a processor, a memory, and a communication device. Cognitivevirtual assistant 304 and system server 308 may include a plurality ofcomputing devices connected together, e.g., via a network. The processormay include any general purpose or application-specific processor. Thememory may include one or more tangible, non-transitory,machine-readable media.

Data 305 is transferred over communication path 307 to network 306.Network 306 communicates with system server 308. For example, network306 can be the Internet.

System server 308 accesses third-party benefits provider data interface309. For example, third-party benefits provider data interface 309 canbe an interface to a third-party benefits provider system. For example,system server 308 can access third-party benefits provider data 315directly from databases of third-party providers. In one embodiment,application programming interface (API) 310 of system server 308 orapplication programming interface (API) 311 of cognitive virtualassistant 304 communicates with application programming interface (API)312 of third-party benefits provider data interface 309 to access thefeatures or data from third-party benefits provider data interface 309.Alternatively, system server 308 can access third-party benefitsprovider data 315 over network 306. For example, third-party benefitsprovider data 315 can include third-party rate coverage and premium datafrom multiple benefits providers.

System server 308 or cognitive virtual assistant 304 can connect tothird-party pharmacy data interface 330. For example, third-partypharmacy data interface 330 can be an interface to a third-party systemfor accessing pharmacy data 331. In one embodiment, applicationprogramming interface (API) 310 of system server 308 or applicationprogramming interface (API) 311 of cognitive virtual assistant 304communicates with application programming interface (API) 332 ofthird-party pharmacy data interface 330 to access the features or datafrom of third-party pharmacy data interface 330. Alternatively, server308 can access pharmacy data 331 over network 306. For example, pharmacydata 331 can include data fields of prescription or refill relating touser information. In one embodiment, pharmacy data 331 can be accessedfrom or sent directly to user interface 301. In one embodiment, pharmacydata interface 330 can send pharmacy data 331 directly to user 301through user interface 302 by voice, text or email.

System server 308 or cognitive virtual assistant 304 can connect tothird-party medical provider interface 340. For example, third-partymedical provider interface 340 can be an interface to a third-partysystem for accessing medical provider data 341. In one embodiment,application programming interface (API) 310 of system server 308 orapplication programming interface (API) 311 of cognitive virtualassistant 304 communicates with application programming interface (API)342 of third party medical provider interface 340 to access the featuresor data from third-party medical provider interface 340. Alternatively,system server 308 can access medical provider data 341 over network 306.For example, medical provider data 341 can include medical conditiondiagnosis and treatment data. In one embodiment, third-party medicalprovider interface 340 can send medical provider data 341 directly touser 301 through user interface 302 by voice, text or email. Data 305,third-party data 315, pharmacy data 331 and medical provider data 341can be stored in memory 350 of system server 308.

Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in connectionwith a special purpose or general purpose computer device that includesboth hardware and/or software components, including special purpose orgeneral purpose computers.

Embodiments can also include physical computer-readable media and/orintangible computer-readable media for carrying or havingcomputer-executable instructions, data structures, and/or data signalsstored thereon. Such physical computer-readable media and/or intangiblecomputer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessedby a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, andnot limitation, such physical computer-readable media can include RAM,ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storageor other magnetic storage devices, other semiconductor storage media, orany other physical medium which can be used to store desired data in theform of computer-executable instructions, data structures and/or datasignals, and which can be accessed by a general purpose or specialpurpose computer. Within a general purpose or special purpose computer,intangible computer-readable media can include electromagnetic means forconveying a data signal from one part of the computer to another, suchas through circuitry residing in the computer.

When information is transferred or provided over a network or anothercommunications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combinationof hardwired or wireless) to a computer, hardwired devices for sendingand receiving computer-executable instructions, data structures, and/ordata signals (e.g., wires, cables, optical fibers, electronic circuitry,chemical, and the like) should properly be viewed as physicalcomputer-readable mediums while wireless carriers or wireless mediumsfor sending and/or receiving computer-executable instructions, datastructures, and/or data signals (e.g., radio communications, satellitecommunications, infrared communications, and the like) should properlybe viewed as intangible computer-readable mediums. Combinations of theabove should also be included within the scope of computer-readablemedia.

Computer-executable instructions include, for example, instructions,data, and/or data signals which cause a general purpose computer,special purpose computer, or special purpose processing device toperform a certain function or group of functions. Although not required,aspects of the invention have been described herein in the generalcontext of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules,being executed by computers, in network environments and/or non-networkenvironments. Generally, program modules include routines, programs,objects, components, and content structures that perform particulartasks or implement particular abstract content types.Computer-executable instructions, associated content structures, andprogram modules represent examples of program code for executing aspectsof the methods disclosed herein.

While the subject matter has been described above in the general contextof computer-executable instructions of a program that runs on one ormore computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the subjectmatter described herein also can be implemented in combination withother program modules. Generally, program modules include routines,programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform particulartasks and/or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the inventive methods can bepracticed with other computer system configurations, includingsingle-processor, multiprocessor or multi-core processor computersystems, mini-computing devices, mainframe computers, as well aspersonal computers, hand-held computing devices (e.g., personal digitalassistant (PDA), phone, watch . . . ), microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer or industrial electronics, and the like. Theillustrated aspects can also be practiced in distributed computingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices thatare linked through a communications network. However, some, if not allaspects of the claimed subject matter can be practiced on stand-alonecomputers. In a distributed computing environment, program modules canbe located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Embodiments may also include computer program products for use in thesystems of the present invention, the computer program product having aphysical computer-readable medium having computer readable program codestored thereon, the computer readable program code comprising computerexecutable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause thesystem to perform the methods of the present invention.

It is to be understood that the above described embodiments areillustrative of only a few of the many possible specific embodiments,which can represent applications of the principles of the invention.Numerous and varied other arrangements can be readily devised inaccordance with these principles by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising thesteps of: providing a user interface to a cognitive virtual assistant,the cognitive virtual assistant receives audio from the user interfacewhich is interpreted with artificial intelligence at a processor togenerate data and audio responses, the audio responses being forwardedto the user interface; the cognitive virtual assistant prompting a userfor underwriter requirements information for one or more a benefitsproducts which are of interest to the user for purchase; communicatingresponses for underwriting requirements to one or more benefitsproviders providing the one or more benefits products, the one or morebenefits providers providing application requirements; presenting theapplication requirements to the user using the cognitive virtualassistant in real time; the user, completing the applicationrequirements using the cognitive virtual assistant; and communicatingthe completed application requirements to a respective one or morebenefits providers for enrollment.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein thestep of prompting a user for information includes prompting the user toanswer one or more pre-qualifying questions and the identification ofthe one or more benefits products being determined from eligibility ofthe user based on answers to the one or more pre-qualifying questionsand further comprising the step of scanning a network of agents licensedor registered in a resident state of the user to identify at least oneof the agents offering the benefits products.
 3. The method of claim 1further comprising adjusting parameters of the cognitive virtualassistant to accommodate the user.
 4. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising the step of receiving enrolled policy information afterenrollment and presenting the enrolled policy information to the userwith the cognitive virtual assistant.
 5. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising the step of evaluating a level of intent or urgency of theuser to purchase the one or more benefits products by using thedescription given by the user to the cognitive virtual assistant.
 6. Acomputer implemented system comprising: a user interface communicatingwith a cognitive virtual assistant, and the cognitive virtual assistantreceives audio from the user interface which is interpreted withartificial intelligence at a processor to generate data and audioresponses, the audio responses being forwarded to the user interface; aserver communicating over a network to the cognitive virtual assistant;and a benefits providers interface, benefits providers applicationinterface and benefits provider enrollment interface communicating withthe cognitive virtual assistant, wherein the cognitive virtual assistantprompts a user for underwriter requirements information for one or morebenefits products which are of interest to the user for purchase, theserver communicates the underwriter requirements information to one ormore benefits providers using the benefits providers interface andreceives application requirements from the one or more benefitsproviders using the benefits providers application interface, presentsthe application requirements to the user with the cognitive virtualassistant in real time, receives completed application requirements fromthe cognitive virtual assistant, forwards the completed applicationrequirements to the benefits provider enrollment interface and presentsenrolled policy information to the user with the cognitive virtualassistant.
 7. The system of claim 6 wherein the user interface is anelectronic device of a mobile device, cell phone or smart phone.
 8. Thesystem of claim 6 wherein the virtual assistant has cognitive learningabilities.
 9. The system of claim 6 wherein the virtual assistant isdetermined based on a natural language parser.
 10. The system of claim 6wherein parameters of the virtual assistant are adjusted to accommodatethe user.
 11. The system of claim 6 wherein the server evaluates a levelof intent or urgency of the user to purchase the one or more benefitsproducts by using the description given by the user to the cognitivevirtual assistant.
 12. The system of claim 6 wherein a API on the serveror the cognitive virtual assistant is activated to establish aconnection with a API of the benefits providers interface.
 13. Thesystem of claim 6 wherein a API on the server or the cognitive virtualassistant is activated to establish a connection with a API of thebenefits providers application interface.
 14. The system of claim 6wherein a API on the server or the cognitive virtual assistant isactivated to establish a connection with a API of the benefits providerenrollment interface.
 15. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumhaving stored thereon a plurality of sequences of instructions, saidinstructions including sequences of instructions which, when executed byat least one processor, cause said processor to receive audio from auser interface in communication with a cognitive virtual assistant, andthe cognitive virtual assistant receives the audio from the userinterface, the audio is interpreted with artificial intelligence at aprocessor to generate data and audio responses, the audio responsesbeing forwarded to the user interface; the cognitive virtual assistantcommunicating with a benefits providers interface, benefits applicationinterface and benefits enrollment interface, wherein the cognitivevirtual assistant prompts a user for underwriter requirementsinformation for one or more benefits products which are of interest tothe user for purchase, the processor communicates the underwriterrequirements information to one or more benefits providers using thebenefits providers interface and receives application requirements fromthe one or more benefits providers using the benefits providersapplication interface, presents the application requirements to the userwith the cognitive virtual assistant in real time, receives completedapplication requirements from the cognitive virtual assistant, forwardsthe completed application requirements to the benefits providerenrollment interface and presents enrolled policy information to theuser with the cognitive virtual assistant.
 16. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the processor furtherevaluates a level of intent or urgency of the user to purchase the oneor more benefits products by using the description given by the user tothe cognitive virtual assistant.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein a API of the cognitivevirtual assistant is activated to establish a connection with a API ofthe benefits providers interface, API of the benefits applicationinterface or a API of the benefits enrollment interface.
 18. Acomputer-implemented method comprising the steps of: a. providing a userinterface to a cognitive virtual assistant, the cognitive virtualassistant receives audio from the user interface which is interpretedwith artificial intelligence at a processor to generate data and audioresponses, the audio responses being forwarded to the user interface; b.the cognitive virtual assistant prompts a user for information directedto one or more existing benefits products of which the user is currentlya member; c. identifying coverage information of the one or morebenefits products of one or more benefits providers; and d. presentingthe coverage information to the user using the cognitive assistant inreal time.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of identifyingcoverage information can include invoking an application programminginterface (API) to call the one or more third-benefits providers toobtain information directed to proof of coverage of the one or morebenefits products, coverage details of the one or more benefitsproducts, or to locate a benefits provider.
 20. The method of claim 18wherein the coverage details include plan descriptions, premiums andlimitations and a subset of the coverage details is presented to theuser with the cognitive virtual assistant.
 21. The method of claim 18wherein before step b. further comprising the steps of selecting tomodify coverage or enroll in one or more benefits products using thecognitive virtual assistant.
 22. The method of claim 18 wherein toenroll in one or more benefits products is selected and furthercomprising the steps of: communicating with the one or more benefitsproviders of selected benefits products to receive applicationrequirements; the user, completing the application requirements usingthe cognitive virtual assistant; an communicating the completedapplication requirements to a respective one or more benefits providersfor enrollment; and receiving enrolled policy information and presentingthe enrolled policy information to the user using the cognitive virtualassistant.
 23. The method of claim 18 wherein after step d. furthercomprising the steps of: the user selecting pharmacy services with thecognitive virtual assistant; communicating with a third party providerof the selected pharmacy services; the cognitive virtual assistantprompting the user to provide information directed to the pharmacyservices; communicating with the third party provider of the selectedpharmacy services to submit the information directed to the pharmacyservice; and presenting information received from the third partyprovider of the selected pharmacy services to the user using the virtualcognitive assistant.
 24. The method of claim 18 wherein after step d.further comprising the steps of: the user selecting medical serviceswith the cognitive virtual assistant; communicating with a third partyprovider of the selected medical services; the cognitive virtualassistant prompting the user to provide information directed to themedical services; communicating with the third party provider of theselected medical services to submit the information directed to themedical service; and presenting information received from the thirdparty provider of the selected medical services to the user using thevirtual cognitive assistant.
 25. A computer implemented systemcomprising: a user interface communicating with a cognitive virtualassistant, and the cognitive virtual assistant receives audio from theuser interface which is interpreted with artificial intelligence at aprocessor to generate data and audio responses, the audio responsesbeing forwarded to the user interface; a server communicating over anetwork to the cognitive virtual assistant; and a benefits providersinterface communicating with the virtual assistant, wherein thecognitive virtual assistant prompts a user for information directed toone or more existing benefits products of which the user is currently amember; the server identifies coverage information of the one or morebenefits products of one or more benefits providers; and presents. thecoverage information to the user using the cognitive assistant in realtime.
 26. The system of claim 25 wherein the user interface is anelectronic device of a mobile device, cell phone or smart phone.
 27. Thesystem of claim 25 wherein the virtual assistant has cognitive learningabilities.
 28. The system of claim 25 wherein the virtual assistant isdetermined based on a natural language parser.
 29. The system of claim25 wherein parameters of the virtual assistant are adjusted toaccommodate the user.
 30. The system of claim 25 further comprising athird party pharmacy data interface, the cognitive virtual assistantprompts the user for information directed to selected pharmacy services,the server communicates with a third party provider of the selectedpharmacy services to submit the information directed to the pharmacyservice and presents information received from the third party providerof the selected pharmacy services to the user using the virtualcognitive assistant.
 31. The system of claim 25 further comprising athird party medical provider data interface, the cognitive virtualassistant prompts the user for information directed to selected medicalservices, the server communicates with a third party provider of theselected medical services to submit the information directed to themedical services and presents information received from the third partyprovider of the selected medical services to the user using the virtualcognitive assistant.
 32. The system of claim 25 wherein a API on theserver or the cognitive virtual assistant is activated to establish aconnection with a API of the benefits provider interface.
 33. The systemof claim 30 wherein a API on the server or the cognitive virtualassistant is activated to establish a connection with a API of the thirdparty pharmacy provider interface.
 34. The system of claim 31 wherein aAPI on the server or the cognitive virtual assistant is activated toestablish a connection with a API of the third party pharmacy providerinterface
 35. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having storedthereon a plurality of sequences of instructions, said instructionsincluding sequences of instructions which, when executed by at least oneprocessor, cause said processor to receive audio from a user interfacein communication with a cognitive virtual assistant, and the cognitivevirtual assistant receives the audio from the user interface, the audiois interpreted with artificial intelligence at a processor to generatedata and audio responses, the audio responses being forwarded to theuser interface; the cognitive virtual assistant communicating with abenefits providers interface, wherein the cognitive virtual assistantprompts a user for information directed to one or more existing benefitsproducts of which the user is currently a member; the processoridentifies coverage information of the one or more benefits products ofone or more benefits providers; and presents. the coverage informationto the user using the cognitive assistant in real time.
 36. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35 wherein a API of thecognitive virtual assistant is activated to establish a connection witha API of the benefits providers interface.
 37. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 35 further comprising a third partypharmacy data interface, the cognitive virtual assistant prompts theuser for information directed to selected pharmacy services, theprocessor communicates with a 3rd party provider of the selectedpharmacy services to submit the information directed to the pharmacyservice and presents information received from the third party providerof the selected pharmacy services to the user using the virtualcognitive assistant.
 38. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 37 wherein a API of the cognitive virtual assistant is activatedto establish a connection with a API of the third party pharmacy datainterface.
 39. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37further comprising a third party medical provider data interface, thecognitive virtual assistant prompts the user for information directed toselected medical services, the server communicates with a 3rd partyprovider of the selected medical services to submit the informationdirected to the medical services and presents information received fromthe third party provider of the selected medical services to the userusing the virtual cognitive assistant.
 40. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 39 wherein a API of the cognitivevirtual assistant is activated to establish a connection with a API ofthe third party medical provider interface